21 February 2026 | Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (Hybrid)

A hybrid workshop bringing together over 60 researchers from three major international scientific organisations has set out a shared agenda for the next decade of air-sea interactions research — one of the most critical and complex frontiers in climate and ocean science.

The FAIRSEAS workshop — The Future of Internationally Coordinated Air-Sea Interactions Research — was held on 21 February 2026 at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, with online participation from researchers around the world. It was organised as part of the EuroMarine Foresight Workshop programme, led by Ruth Parker (CEFAS) and co-organised by Christa Marandino (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel).

Bringing Three Communities Together

The workshop united members of three international research organisations — the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS), the Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS), and Climate and Ocean – Variability, Predictability, and Change (CLIVAR). Together, these communities cover the physical, chemical and biological processes that govern the exchange across the air-sea interface, from trace gas emissions and aerosol chemistry to heat and momentum fluxes that shape our climate.

Participants included researchers from across Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia — reflecting the inherently global nature of the science. EuroMarine member organisations were represented among both the organising committee and the attending researchers.

Science and Discussion at the Interface

The three-day programme combined invited talks, breakout discussions and an equipment showcase from SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Science), giving participants the opportunity to explore both scientific challenges and the practical tools available to address them.

Central themes included the role of air-sea interactions in regulating global weather and climate, the challenge of sustaining and coordinating observational efforts across ocean basins, and how better international coordination can inform climate modelling, remote sensing, and strategies for climate intervention and adaptation.

Discussions focused on identifying the critical knowledge gaps that will define the priorities for international research over the coming decade — and on determining how existing communities can best work together to close them.

Outcomes and Next Steps

The workshop has generated a strong portfolio of planned outputs:

• A scientific summary to be submitted to the journal Oceanography (end of May 2026)
• A summary report for funding agencies, with ESA engaged as the first recipient (to be finalised by June 2026)
• One or more research papers on the future of air-sea interactions science, to be submitted within the year
• A COST-Action application on air-sea interactions, currently in preparation following a live call

A Model for International Coordination

FAIRSEAS is a strong example of what EuroMarine's Foresight Workshop programme is designed to support: structured, cross-community events that move beyond discipline-specific silos to build the shared frameworks that large-scale challenges demand. By convening SOLAS, OASIS and CLIVAR in a focused setting, the workshop has helped lay the groundwork for coordinated international action on one of the most societally relevant areas of marine and atmospheric research.

FAIRSEAS was supported by EuroMarine as part of its 2025 Foresight Workshop Call.